Becoming a Better Instructor!

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Comment by Martin O. Agbili on August 30, 2012 at 10:43am

My promise is that once I become an official registered member of ISFSI, I will do everything possible to helping grow the International membership in Nigeria. My prayer has been answered through Devon Wells gave the link on what to do. I am so happy.

Comment by Martin O. Agbili on August 30, 2012 at 10:34am

Thank you so much Devon Wells. You are really a good instructor.  You have came to my rescue. I have gone to the www.isfsi.org immediately. I have downloaded the form immediately. I will try and fill and submit it back as soon as possible.

As i was viewing the membership form I noticed that in one of the columns it requires the name and email of the person that recruited me. Please I wish to make a request for you to accept to be the person that recruited me because you have did. If you do not mind, please later you can send me your full name and email. Please Devon, I am making you my mentor immediately. I believe that i will have a lot to learn from you and from this noble society.

My email is magbili@yahoo.com

My facebook account is https://www.facebook.com/agbilimagility

You can send me your email in any of these two so that it can assist me to feel the form.

Thank you so much for this humble assistance which you rendered to me. I will ever remain grateful to you. You have made my day.

Comment by Devon Wells on August 30, 2012 at 9:56am

Martin- I'm glad to see your comments. The ISFSI is a great membership Society only made stronger by member like you. We are very interested in you joint the ISFSI.

For more information on the Society, please go to www.isfsi.org where you will find a link to register for membership and all of the information about us. We look forward to you becoming a member and helping grow our International membership.

Sincerely, Devon Wells, 2nd Vice President, ISFSI

Comment by Martin O. Agbili on August 30, 2012 at 6:49am

Hello everyone,

I am happy that i found this group. I wish that I will get what i want here.

I am a fire fighter in Nigeria and I have interest in becoming an official registered member of International Society of Fire Service Instructor. I work with Anambra State Fire Service headquarters, Awka in Nigeria. I have been in the job for fifteen (15) years. I am also an electrical engineer.

Please how can I be assisted to become a full member of this noble association. What are the requisite requirement to become a member. What will it cost me become an official registered member?

Please Someone should guide me through.

Thanks all.

Comment by Drew Smith on March 10, 2012 at 11:42pm

Steve-

We run a nine-week/450+ hour academy (NFPA FF1/2 & HM operations).  Our approach as instructors is to "crawl, then walk, then run" with the goal of master after week six, not in week 1.  With that said, it is really not a question of what you want to teach them but how you teach it.  Upon graduation, candidates (at least in our program) are to be able to function safely, as a member of a company, under the direct supervision of an officer.  They are not decision makers (except in regards to their personal safety.  They do not decide if ventilation is needs or exactly where to make the h***-just how to make the h*** effectively, safely, and quickly.

We focus on simple skills (don the SCBA, raise the ladder, pack and pull basic hose loads, for example) in weeks 1 and 2 then move into fireground applications.  With regard to SCBA, we do a lot of donning and emergency skills in an open area before we put them in artificial smoke, and it's artificial smoke before real smoke. We also have them wear their facepiece during a classroom session and other non-firefighting activities (just the mask-no SCBA or other PPE) to get acclimated to the feel and breathing. 

I firmly believe that skills should build on one another.  Skills should be taught incrementally, not in one session.  Instructors need to not try and give new members all their knowledge in a compressed time frame (don’t cram 20 years of experience into two days of SCBA).

Finally, don’t teach them to do things that can result in unattended consequences: Don’t turn hoods around to black out masks-weak the PPE correctly and use other media to achieve this result. Don’t omit steps just because its training. Don’t have them crawl into the fire room of the tower to feel the heat when the hose stream reaches 20+ feet.  Do we really want them to enter the fire room or make the initial knock from a safe distance so they have a means of egress? Do we want them to don PPE while a vehicle is moving or remain seated and belted? 

For more info on how we try to do business please see http://nipsta.org/academy/documents/NIPSTAFirefighterAcademy-Teachi...

Comment by Steve West on March 9, 2012 at 8:05pm

Hello Brothers/ Sister of the Fire Service!!!

We have an Academy starting soon. I am intrested in any new ideas that you may use in your fire department/ Academy, for PPE. I have taught the usual, Donning/ Doffing, Equipment familiarization ( SCBA, Turnout gear, on in 1 min, and breathing air in 2 min) but I am looking for something new to bring to the table to assist firefighters for a rookie class. I also cover "Whats in your pockets", to bring a newer perspective. Anything you can suggest will be helpful. Thanks

God Bless

Stay Safe

S.West

Comment by J. Scott Loftis on September 16, 2011 at 7:39pm

I just put together a resource for my organization's departmental training officers. It may be of use to others. It ended up being cheaper to publish it than to have it printed. It should be available the first part of October. You can see it at www.createspace.com/3690367

Comment by Vernon Applewhite on June 19, 2011 at 8:54am

Happy Father's Day.

Comment by Vernon Applewhite on March 22, 2011 at 11:55am

2nd day at FDIC. ISFSI class.

Comment by Louis N. Molino Sr. on December 9, 2010 at 4:26pm

What would you consider a reasonable hourly rate for an Skills Instructor for basic firefighter I and II type Skills Sessions?

I am looking for an HOURLY rate so shoot me a number if you have an opinion.

Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET
FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI
Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant

LNMolino@aol.com